Hillary Clinton reveals a hidden secret about her new life as ex-candidate

Yes, it's hard to picture, but good for her.

The woman who made pantsuits a staple of the late-night joke sessions and nearly became the first female presidential candidate of a major American political party has revealed a secret about her new life as presidential loser.

Lost in the thousands of words Hillary Clinton uttered in praise of Barack Obama, her party's nominee, and its political agenda during a speech earlier today to 2,000 women supporters in New York City, were a few little-noticed paragraphs that caught The Ticket's eye.

The 60-year-old senator tossed them out to the receptive audience almost in passing. But The Times' Louise Roug was transcribing the speech (which you can find in its entirety in one of our occasional In Her Own Words items here).

And here's what Clinton said in a kind of girlish admission:

"There are some differences (between Obama and myself).

"For example, Barack said (to me), 'you look kind of rested.' I said, 'well, kind of is the right descriptor.'

"But I'm actually -– don't tell anybody –- trying to exercise a little bit, which I'm told does wonders for a person.

"Because during the campaign," Clinton continued in a confessional tone, "I'm sure you've read, Barack would get up faithfully every morning and go to the gym. And I would get up, and get my hair done.

"It's one of those Ginger Rogers-Fred Astaire things that are part of our lives."

Yes, sure, she was dating herself by referencing movies from the '30s and '40s (the nineteen-thirties and forties, when Democrats owned the White House), when the often-paired duo of Rogers and Astaire would glide across studio floors as if their feet weren't moving.

And maybe some of the 30-somethings in the audience were puzzled enough to hustle back to their office and try Googling these Asthair and Rodgers people. And they would learn that she was originally Virginia McMath and died in 1995 and he was originally Frederick Austerlitz and passed away in 1987.

But that's history. Clinton's coiffured confession and romantic reminiscence by someone who looked anything but romantic going after politics' Big Prize these last 18 months was rather refreshing. We wish her luck on the treadmill and the elliptical.

Now, how long do you suppose before someone re-starts pairing up Obama-Clinton as an ideal political couple dancing their way together to Nov. 4?

-- Andrew Malcolm

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance the Oscar-winning number "The Continental" in the 1934 classic "The Gay Divorcee."
File photo

Comments

[Tom J]

No, she was just referencing the 'backwards and in high heels' meme again.

'He' had time for exercise because men don't need to spend nearly as much time as women do to look 'presentable' as a candidate. 'She' did need to spend time (hair, makeup, clothes, accessories), so there went any possible time for exercise.

Think about it. The biggest decision Barack had to make about getting ready was choosing a tie - and he was known for not wearing a tie at all earlier in the campaign.

[VJ Machiavelli]

I wonder if she told them she was once a "Goldwater Girl" I guess she left that out.

VJ Machiavelli

(No, she actually mentioned that as a matter of shame. It's in the full text of her speech in the item just beneath this one. Give it a read.)

[CJM]

Sigh. Lovely picture, and it was a nice moment from Hillary, but you missed the point of her remark entirely.

Hillary's remark was a follow-up to the grief Obama got about his supposed anti-female remark at the Unity shindig. He was talking about their grueling campaign and praised Hillary's performance by adding, with a shake of his head and awe in his voice, "and she does it in heels." He was quoting the famous qujip by Ann Richards at the 1988 Democratic convention:

"But, if you give us [women] a chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."

Hillary's Fred-and-Ginger remark was a friendly "thank you" or "hat tip" to Obama's praise -- and defusing the silly media-fanned criticism he received for his allegedly offensive remark. The Fred and Ginger reference would have also hit a responsive chord with her overwhelmingly female Democratic audience, most of whom would be quite familiar with the Ann Richards quip, even if they couldn't tell you who first said it or when.

[manitoba]

Her comment went over your head.
She was referring to Rogers' own observation that she did everything Astaire did but backwards and in heels.

[Susan]

Hillary's reference is not so much to the dancing partners as to the much-quoted comment that "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels" (source unknown). It's a reminder that women often have additional challenges in doing some of the same things men do.

[Avg. Joe]

You mean SOME men take less time to prepare than SOME women. Obama only has to pick out a tie? And people wonder why so many of us have the idea that Obama's naive followers have only recently been weaned and still eat at the kiddie table at family gatherings. I doubt Obama spends less time in the "Make-up chair" than me since I spend zero and don't worry about what my image will look like to millions of people I'm concerned with impressing. Lose the sexist overtones Hillary bashers, face it she's "more of a man," that is has the cajones to go out in public and put it on the line for what she believes in, than some little putz liike yourself who believes baseless rhetoric and ambiguous words like Hope and Change and probably has purchased a used car from a car lot for too much money and has little to no sense about the true machinations of big time politics today.

[Ross C.]

OH! Isn't he a pretty tyrant?
Some of us would opt for death before tyranny. Millions of votes from Democrats don't count, but fewer republican votes (for Obama) are counted with a multiplier?
For our own and for our children's freedoms' sake, we must reject the Democratic 'selectee'. I will vote for Hillary Clinton in the general election.

[CC]

Who gets their hair done every day?

[beckyl]

Without dissing Obama, I think Hillary is the one to lead this country out of the mess it is in. Our present situation requires more than youth and change, it requires experience, determination, intelligence and grace - all qualities Hillary has shown us is a part of her everyday regime. Makeup, hair and highheels or not she is best suited to be Comander in Chief. Obama can grow, gain experience and leducation over the next 8 years and perhaps show us he is then able to be President.

[Katrina]

The Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers comment may be prophetic. Fred Astaire, as a uniquely gifted performer , needed the equally talented Ginger Rogers to complement him, and together they became something new and even more wonderful. Barack and Hillary may be the unique and wonderful ticket that the US now needs.

[Gizelle]

The nuances of the the comparison include the sense that in the artifice of American couples' dancing the Man leads and the Woman follows. Fred Astaire said that Ginger Rogers was the only dance partner who correctly embodied "The Lady" of his visionary choreographies (which he would work out with Hermes Pan). Ginger did not and could not do everything Fred did; that is absurd: he was a Mozart, a creative force and a veritable god of Dance, and every dancer who has seen his work acknowledges this; Ginger Rogers had irresisitible grace, a solid work-ethic, spunky good humor and moreover a modern-girl genius that won her an Oscar for her dramatic skills. But in the context implied here by Hillary, she sees that this situation with Obama is a political dance in which she must appear gracefully to be led and correctly positioned--and this is indeed a startlingly candid admission worthy of Ginger Rogers. It also says "My time will come, " without being offensive.

[nan]

actually Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are a great metaphor should this become an Obama/Clinton ticket.

We'll have GREAT youtube videos of Astaire and Rogers 'dancing in the dark' with hillary and barack's faces all over them!!!

They do look quite stunning as a 'political' couple. AND rather then looking at them as the "odd couple" I think Astaire/Rogers is far more 'complimentary'.....

Afterall - THAT would really be CHANGE and HISTORY MAKING at the same....

A younger black male for President with an older white woman for VP....

I mean really - how stunning and proud would you be to be a democrat then?

And,

She is the perfect "bad cop" to his "good cop"....

If McCain picks Romeny - then Hillary is the PERFECT match to go up against his nasty, rude, and contangerous comments.

I think we would all be glued to the VP debates if it were Clinton vs Romney because SHE has castrated everyone in every debate....I'd love to see her go up against a Romney or even Guiliani.......

[joywinnie]

Who gets their hair done everyday? You really need to ask that? Anyone who might be skewered in the press everyday simply for how they look.

[grayce]

The Hillary for VP comments are heading in the right direction.

If Barack Obama is worried about Bill Clinton being around the White House, he should call upon George Bush's father, George HW, to mentor the new second spouse. George the elder has shown role model behavior in his non--interference with the current president.

Cross the aisle; team up the two ex-presidents and give them a high visibility assignment somewhere in the world.
Bottom line: Hillary Clinton has become her own person. Add her to the ticket!

[Miriam]

In the name of heaven could some one tell me what Hillary has ever done except serve on the Wal-Mart board & mess up health care reform w/ the same kind of inability to cooperate w/ others she showed in her campaign.
I'm a New Yorker & she's been a total disaster for our state.